History

Business has been in the Stratman blood for decades. Ron Stratman, who began as a painter,
originally started his own painting company that employed nearly 30 people.
However, Ron’s love of the motorcycle led his family down a different path. Years ago Ron
raced competitively and to support this hobby his children sold souvenirs at racing events
across the country. In 1969 the hobby became Ron’s next great adventure in business.
At that time companies did not license their merchandise, so Ron made and designed t-shirts
and developed trade with independent shops. Throughout that process relationships began to grow.

1976-1986

Eventually, in an effort to control their image, Harley-Davidson Motor Co. decided to require a
license. In 1983, Ron Stratman was granted one of the original 12 licenses. Upon receiving a
license Ron decided to focus the attention of his company solely on Harley-Davidson merchandise.
Ron’s business relied on himself as a hands-on salesman, a basic black and white catalogue and word of mouth.

1986-1994

Today, RK Stratman Inc. remains wholly owned and managed by the Stratman family.
Nearly every one of Ron’s children and grandchildren has, at some
point in their lives, spent time printing, packing, stocking, or
selling shirts. RK Stratman Inc. moved to Wentzville in 1994 with
the purchase of a 57,000 square foot building from Contel, adding
41,000 square feet in 1997 and completing a long awaited expansion
in 2009 to consolidate all locations.

1994-1997

The expanded Wentzville campus
spans nearly 26 acres with 305,000 square feet of operating space.
Within that space RK Stratman Inc. employs approximately 250 production
and support employees as well as 23 sales reps worldwide, with 30
presses operating and producing more than 4 million shirts annually.
The expansion, as well as ongoing improvements to our processes,
which include the implementation of Lean manufacturing principles,
makes RK Stratman Inc., poised for growth and able to respond to
new market opportunities.